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Glossary of Terms
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Acronym Term Definition
ABC Abstain, Be faithful, Condomize ABC refers to an individual-level HIV prevention strategy. People are encouraged to abstain from sexual activity, avoid sexual activity with people other than their mutually monogamous partner, and use condoms consistently and correctly if engaging in sexual activity with multiple partners or outside of a monogamous relationship.
Abstinence Avoiding sexual contact.
Abstinence-Based Approach to Sex Education Abstinence-based approaches teach young people that the best way of avoiding unintended pregnancies, HIV, and STIs is to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. Moral judgments are often associated with these approaches.
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIDS is a medical diagnosis given by a medical doctor to someone in a more progressed stage of HIV disease. The conditions necessary for this diagnosis differs between countries. In Canada, a doctor may give a diagnosis of AIDS when someone is HIV+ and has an opportunistic infection.
ASO AIDS Service Organization A non-profit organization working on HIV and AIDS issues.
Antenatal Clinic A clinic specializing in services for mothers and babies, shortly after the birth. In countries with generalized HIV epidemics, mothers at these clinics are randomly, anonymously tested to determine national prevalence rates for HIV.
ARV Anti-Retroviral Medications that are used to treat HIV. These medications prevent the HIV from making new copies of itself, which allows the immune system to get stronger by making more white blood cells. There are three main kinds or "classes" of anti-retroviral drugs; each interferes in a different part of the HIV reproduction cycle.
ASRH Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
BCC Behaviour Change Communication BCC is a strategy that tailors health messages and uses communication methods (like the internet, radio, posters, etc) to encourage individuals to change risk behaviours.
Behavioural Sciences A science, such as psychology, that seeks to survey and predict the responses (behaviors) of individuals and groups to a given situation, i.e. " find out why people do what they do." Behavioral science helps HIV prevention planners choose strategies that are known to help people change or avoid HIV risk behaviors.
Biomedical Sciences Biomedical sciences use the principles of natural sciences (like biology, chemistry, and physics) to medicine.
Capacity Building A coordinated process of deliberate interventions by insiders and/or outsiders of a given society leading to (i) skill upgrading, both general and specific, (ii) procedural improvements, and (iii) organizational strengthening. Capacity building refers to investment in people, institutions, and practices that together will enable them to achieve their development objective.
CBO Community-Based Organization Non-profit organizations that undertake work within a geographically-based community.
CDC Centre for Disease Control A US government institution which monitors and works to control disease. The US Centre for Disease Control is often referred to as simply the CDC in literature, but there are similar Canadian institutions as well. For example, in British Columbia, there is the BCCDC.
Child Mortality Rate The number of children out of 1000 born in a given area who will die before they turn five years old.
CSO Civil Society Organization CSOs are organizations that are independent from both the state (government) and the market. They often operate in between individuals and the state.
Clinical Trial A type of research study that tests a new medication, treatment, or prevention program to see how effective it is when used with real people.
Cocktail See Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy
Co-infection This term is used when talking about persons with HIV who are also infected with the Hepetitis C virus (HCV). HCV infection is more serious in person with HIV. Co-infection with HIV and HCV is most common among HIV-infected injection drug users (IDU's).
CSW Commercial Sex Worker Someone who engages in sexual activity in exchange for money.
CLI Community-Level Intervention An intervention that seeks to improve the risk conditions and behaviors in a community through a focus on the community as a whole, rather than by intervening only with individuals or small groups. This is often done by attempting to alter social norms, policies, or characteristics of the environment. Examples of CLI include community mobilizations, social marketing campaigns, community-wide events, policy interventions, and structural interventions.
Community Services Assessment A description of the prevention needs of populations at risk for HIV infection, the prevention interventions/activities implemented to address these needs (regardless of funding source), and service gaps.
Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan A plan that identifies prioritized target populations and describes what interventions will best meet the needs of each prioritized target population.
Comprehensive Sex Education Comprehensive approaches to sex education explain the potential benefits and risks of sexual activity to young people and ensure that they know how to reduce the risks of STIs, HIV, and unintended pregnancy when they do decide to engage in sexual activities.
Conflict of Interest A conflict between a one's obligation to the public good and one's self-interest. For example, if a member is asked to help decide whether to give a grant to Agency A and she is employed by Agency A, she has a conflict of interest.
Cost-Effectiveness The relative costs and effectiveness of proposed strategies and interventions, either demonstrated or probable.
CTRPN Counseling, Testing, Referral, and Partner Notification An older term for Prevention Counseling and Testing.
Culturally Appropriate Tailoring programs and messages to fit with a culture's acceptable expressions and standards of behavior and thoughts.
DOH Determinants of Health Factors in the social and physical environment that influence the health of populations. Also known as the Social Determinants of Health SDOH.
Developmentally Appropriate Programs or materials which are consistent with the learning skills of the client.
Discrimination The processes through which certain groups are considered dominant or the norm and, thus, better than or more normal than others. The effects of these processes lead some individuals to enjoy privileges or benefits because of their status as a member of the norm while others experience negative social, economic, and psychological effects because they are part of an oppressed group.
DoC Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS On 25-27 June 2001, heads of State and government representatives met for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS), which resulted in the issuance of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (DoC). The DoC outlines what governments have pledged to achieveto halt and begin to reverse the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The DoC is not a legally binding document; however, it is a clear statement by governments concerning what should be done to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and what countries have committed to doing, with specific time-bound targets.
Empowerment The expansion of assets and capabilities of disempowered people to participate in, negotiate with, influence, control, and hold accountable institutions that affect their lives. In its broadest sense, empowerment is the expansion of freedom of choice and action. It is a participatory process which places or transfers decision-making responsibility and the resources to act into the hands of those who will benefit.
Endemic A disease is considered endemic when it is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in a specific place or among a specific population.
Epidemic The rapid spread, growth, or occurrence of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events in a community or region in excess of normal expectancy.
Epidemiologic Profile A document that describes the HIV/AIDS epidemic within various populations and identifies characteristics of both HIV-infected and HIV-negative persons in defined geographic areas. It is composed of information gathered to describe the effect of HIV/AIDS on an area in terms of sociodemographic, geographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics. The epidemiologic profile serves as the scientific basis for the identification and prioritization of HIV prevention and care needs in any given jurisdiction.
Epidemiology The study of the causes, spread, control and prevention of disease in human beings.
Evidenced-Based In prevention planning, decisions based on scientific evidence, such as epidemiologic data, behavioral science, and local needs assessments.
Faith-Based Organization An organization, group, program or project that provides social or health services, and has an integrated faith element.
FGC Female Genital Cutting In prevention planning, decisions based on scientific evidence, such as epidemiologic data, behavioral science, and local needs assessments.
Gender The "rules" that a society has for how people should be and the roles they should assume based on whether they are born male or female (sex). Gender is related to the subtle and overt social conditioning we receive in our society and culture. Gender differs among cultural groups. In fact, in some cultures, there is a belief that more than two genders exist (see Third Gender). There is debate as to whether these gendered rules and expectations are influenced by nature (physical sex) or nurture (social conditioning).
Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need. It is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities.
GIPA Greater Involvement of People Living with AIDS/HIV The GIPA principle was adopted by 42 national governments at the Paris AIDS Summit in 1994 and endorsed in the 2001 DoC. GIPA recognizes the important contribution people living with and affected by HIV can make in the response to the epidemic and encourages organizations and governments to foster meaningful participation among PLWHA in all aspects of response efforts.
GLIs Group-Level Interventions Health education and risk-reduction counseling that shifts the delivery of service from the individual to groups of varying sizes. Group-level interventions use peer and non-peer models involving a range of skills, information, education, and support.
Harm Reduction An approach to drugs and addictions which works to reduce the negative consequences of substance use on the individual, their family, the community, and public health. Strategies meet users "where they are at", addressing both the use of substances and how the substances are used. Harm reduction include a spectrum of strategies from safer drug use to managed use to abstinence.
Health According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
HC/PI Health Communications/Public Information The delivery of planned HIV/AIDS prevention messages through one or more channels to target audiences. The messages are designed to build general support for safe behavior, support personal risk-reduction efforts, and inform people at risk for infection about how to get specific services. Channels of delivery include electronic media, print media, hotlines, clearinghouses, and presentations/lectures.
HE/RR Health Education/Risk Reduction Organized efforts to reach people at increased risk of becoming HIV-infected or, if already infected, of transmitting the virus to others. The goal is to reduce the spread of infection. Activities range from individual HIV prevention counseling to broad, community-based interventions.
High-Risk Behavior A behavior in a high prevalence setting that places an individual at risk for HIV or STDs or in any setting in which either partner is infected.
HVTN HIV Vaccine Trials Network The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is an international collaboration of scientists and educators searching for an effective and safe HIV vaccine. HVTN facilitates the process of testing preventive vaccines against HIV/AIDS, conducting all phases of clinical trials.
Heterosexism Discrimination based on sexual orientation. Heterosexism is the assumption by individuals and societies that all people are heterosexual. It creates a subtle dynamic of exclusion against those who do not identify as heterosexual.
HAART High Active Anti-Retrovirus Therapy or Highly Active Anti-Retrovirus Therapy A combination of medications from the three classes of anti-retroviral drugs. Because each class interferes in a different stage of the HIV virus' reproduction cycle, it is the most effective therapy for HIV/AIDS. This is known as "The Cocktail".
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus The virus which causes AIDS.
HIV Affected Includes HIV-positive people, persons with AIDS and other individuals, including their families, friends, advocates and communities, impacted by HIV infection and its physical, psychological and socio-economic ramifications.
HIV Disease Refers to symptoms and conditions associated with HIV infection. Because AIDS is a medical diagnosis, an HIV positive person may experience symptoms associated with HIV infection without actually having an AIDS diagnosis. See AIDS & HIV.
HIV-Endemic Countries/Regions Geographical areas where the primary method of HIV transmission is through heterosexual contact. In accordance with recent international estimates of adult HIV prevalence, HIV-endemic countries include countries in northern regions of South America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.
HIV Infected/Positive A person who has HIV. If you get infected with HIV then your body will try to fight the virus by producing special cells - antibodies. If you are HIV infected/positive then these antibodies are present in the bloodstream.
HIV Prevention Counseling An interactive process between client and counselor aimed at identifying concrete, acceptable, and appropriate ways to reduce risky sex and needle-sharing behaviors related to HIV acquisition (for HIV-uninfected clients) or transmission (for HIV-infected clients).
Homophobia Discrimination based on sexual orientation. Homophobia is the fear or hatred of homosexuality and homosexuals which leads to the desire or attempt to discriminate against them.
Human Rights Human rights affirm and protect the right of every individual to live and work without discrimination and harassment. Human Rights policies and legislation attempt to create a climate in which the dignity, worth and rights of all people are respected, regardless of age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, creed (faith), disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender or gender identity, marital status, place of origin, race, sexual orientation or socio-economic status. Human beings possess human rights by virtue of being human, whether or not those rights are expressed or enforced. Human rights are conceptualized as an expression of something we "ought to" do/have, rather than merely something we already have.
Human Trafficking Recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving people in order to exploit them. This movement of people is achieved by threatening, forcing, abducting, deceiving or selling the victims. Trafficked people are commonly exploited through forced labour, prostitution, or the removal of organs.
IEC Information, Education, Communication Prevention strategies, approaches and methods that use information, education, and communication to enable individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to play active roles in achieving, protecting and sustaining their own health. IEC uses a learning process that empowers people to make decisions, modify behaviours and change social conditions.
Immune System The system in the body that protects the person's health. This includes white blood cells.
Impact Effects of HIV/AIDS on individuals, their families, communities, nations, and the world.
I Incidence The number of new cases in a defined population within a certain time period, often a year, that can be used to measure disease frequency. It is important to understand the difference between HIV incidence, which refers to new cases, and new HIV diagnosis, which does not reflect when a person was infected.
Inclusion Meaningful involvement of members in the process with an active voice in decision-making. An inclusive process assures that the views, perspectives, and needs of all affected communities are actively included.
ILIs Individual-Level Interventions Health education and risk-reduction counseling provided for one individual at a time. ILIs help clients make plans for behavior change and ongoing appraisals of their own behavior and include skills-building activities. These interventions also facilitate linkages to services in both clinic and community settings (for example, substance abuse treatment settings) in support of behaviors and practices that prevent transmission of HIV, and help clients make plans to obtain these services.
Injection Equipment The paraphernalia used to injected drugs, whether legal or illegal. This could include: syringes, needles, cotton, spoons, water, and alcohol wipes. Also known as "works".
IDU Intravenous Drug User; Injecting Drug User; or Injection Drug User A person who uses injection equipment to administer drugs. The drugs may be legal or illegal.
Intervention A specific activity (or set of related activities) intended to change the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, or practices of individuals and populations to reduce their health risk. An intervention has distinct process and outcome objectives and a protocol outlining the steps for implementation.
Intervention Plan A plan setting forth the goals, expectations, and implementation procedures for an intervention. It should describe the evidence or theory basis for the intervention, justification for application to the target population and setting, and the service delivery plan.
KABB Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, Behaviours Prevention strategies that focus on research on or education to change knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours within a population.
Life Expectancy The number of years that a child born today could expect to live, if they lived their entire life under the social, environmental and economic conditions of today.
Life Skills Psycho-social and interpersonal skills which help people make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and develop coping and self-management skills to lead a healthy and productive life. Life skills may be directed at individual or group behaviours, as well as actions to change the surrounding environment to make it conducive to healthy living.
LSBE Life Skills-Based Education An interactive process of teaching and learning which enables learners to acquire knowledge and develop attitudes and skills which support the adoption of healthy behaviours. Not all programme content is considered ''health-related." For example, life skills-based literacy and numeracy, life skills-based peace education, and/or human rights education.
Marginalization A process of discrimination in which people or groups of people are excluded from or pushed to the sides of society. This limits their ability to participate in the decisions that influence their lives.
MSM Men Who Have Sex With Men A term used to describe men who have sexual relations with other men, including those who do not define themselves as homosexuals, as a result of cultural or social issues. This includes men who have sex with men who identify as gay, bisexual, transgendered and straight.
Microbicide Microbicides kill microbes. Efforts are under way to develop a microbicidical gel that women could insert into their vaginas to kill HIV virus.
MDGs Millennium Development Goals The eight Millennium Development Goals are the result of the Millennium Development Summit held in 2000, and are often used as a framework for measuring development progress.
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation A program management tool that provides a process for tracking and assessing the impact of a program in achieving its objectives.
Morbidity Data Statistics that show disease or illness (HIV infection, AIDS).
Mortality Data Statistics that represent deaths related to a condition (HIV infection, AIDS).
MCH Maternal and Child Health
MTMC Mother-to-Child Transmission HIV infections in infants that occur through pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.
Multi-Sectoral Approach to HIV/AIDS Approaches that involve all sectors of society - governments, business, civil society organizations, communities and people living with HIV and AIDS, at all levels - in addressing the causes and impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
NAP National AIDS Program
NEP Needle Exchange Program HIV prevention policies and programs that allow people to obtain sterile hypodermic needles and syringes without a prescription for little or no cost. Exchange of used needles may be required for clean needles. Education on drug abuse and blood-borne diseases may be provided.
NGO Non-Governmental Organization This expression is usually used to mean any non-profit organization which is independent from government. Although they are not part of the government, NGOs often do receive government funding.
OI Opportunistic Infection An infection which "takes advantage" of an HIV+ person's lowered immune response. HIV does not kill people directly. It opens the door for opportunistic infections, which wouldn't kill a person with a healthy immune system, but can kill a person who has HIV. Thrush and tuberculosis are both examples of opportunistic infections.
Orphan Where one or both parents of a child have died, the child is an orphan.
Outreach HIV/AIDS interventions generally conducted by peer or paraprofessional educators face-to-face with high-risk individuals in neighborhoods or other areas where they typically congregate. Outreach may include distribution of condoms and educational materials as well as HIV testing. A major purpose of outreach activities is to encourage those at high risk to learn their HIV status.
Pandemic An outbreak of infectious disease affecting a large portion of the populations of many regions.
PACTG Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group
PCRS Partner Counseling and Referral Services A systematic approach to notifying sex and needle-sharing partners of HIV-infected persons of their possible exposure to HIV so they can avoid infection or, if already infected, prevent transmission to others. PCRS helps partners gain earlier access to individualized counseling, HIV testing, medical evaluation, treatment, and other prevention services.
Peer Education Peer education is the process whereby well-trained and motivated young people undertake informal or organized educational activities with their peers over a period of time, aimed at developing their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills and enabling them to be responsible for and protect their own health.
Perinatal Services or events in the time period surrounding pregnancy and birth (before, during, and after delivery).
PHA; PLWA; PLWHIV; PWA Person Living with HIV or AIDS; Person Living with AIDS; Person Living with HIV; Person with AIDS All of these definitions are used to refer to people who have been infected with HIV. The emphasis in these terms is on people's personhood first and foremost, and not their HIV and/or AIDS status.
PEPFAR President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief PEPFAR is the HIV policy of the United States government. An ABC strategy is tied to "population-specific interventions". PEPFAR funds programs that encourage: abstinence for youth, including the delay of sexual debut and abstinence until marriage; being tested for HIV and being faithful in marriage and monogamous relationships; correct and consistent use of condoms for those who practice high-risk behaviours.
PR Prevalence Rate The total number of cases of a disease in a given population at a particular point in time. For HIV/AIDS surveillance, prevalence refers to living persons with HIV disease, regardless of time of infection or diagnosis date. Prevalence does not give an indication of how long a person has had a disease and cannot be used to calculate rates of disease. It can provide an estimate of risk that an individual will have a disease at a point in time.
Prevention Activities intended to change behaviours or social conditions, so that HIV infection does not occur. Some examples of the many HIV prevention programs include education on safer sex and safer needle use, as well as programs designed to reduce vulnerability, like literacy, food security and poverty reduction programs.
PCM Prevention Case Management Client-centered HIV prevention activity with the fundamental goal of promoting the adoption of HIV risk-reduction behaviors by clients with multiple, complex problems and risk-reduction needs. PCM is a hybrid of HIV risk-reduction counseling and traditional case management, which provide intensive, ongoing, and individualized prevention counseling, support, and service brokerage.
PMTCT Preventing Mother to Child Transmission
Priority Population A population identified through the epidemiologic profile and community services assessment that requires prevention efforts due to high rates of HIV infection and the presence of risky behavior.
Public Information Program Activities designed to communicate information to the public. This is often about safe behavior, myths about HIV/AIDS, address barriers to effective risk reduction programs, and support efforts for personal risk reduction.
PSA Public Service Announcement Free media ads placed on radio, TV, etc.
PSE Public Sex Environment Sexual activity in a public environment (e.g. outside of a private home or hotel).
Qualitative Data Non-numeric data, including information from sources such as narrative behavior studies, focus group interviews, open-ended interviews, direct observations, ethnographic studies, and documents. Findings from these sources are usually described in terms of underlying meanings, common themes, and patterns of relationships rather than numeric or statistical analysis. Qualitative data often complement and help explain quantitative data.
Quantitative Data Numeric information - such as numbers, rates, and percentages - representing counts or measurements suitable for statistical analysis.
Racism Discrimination based on race or ethno-cultural background.
Relevance The extent to which an intervention plan addresses the needs of affected populations in the jurisdiction and other community stakeholders.
Representation The act of serving as an official member reflecting the perspective of a specific community. A representative should reflect that community's values, norms, and behaviors, and have expertise in understanding and addressing the specific HIV prevention needs of the population. Representatives also must be able to participate in the group and objectively weigh the overall priority prevention needs of the jurisdiction.
Representative A sample having the same distribution of characteristics as the population from which it is drawn. Thus the sample can be used to draw conclusions about the population.
RH Reproductive Health According to the World Health Organization, RH is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system at all stages of life. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so.
Rights-Based Approach
Risk Factor or Risk Behavior Behavior or other factor that places a person at risk for disease. For example, drug use is a factor that increases risk of acquiring HIV infection; and factors such as sharing injection drug use equipment, unprotected anal or vaginal sexual contact, and commercial unprotected sex increase the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV.
Safer Sex Strategies used to reduce the risk of pregnancy, sexual transmitted disease/infection (STD or STI), and HIV infection during sexual activity. In the past, the term safe sex has been used, but today, safer sex is used to recognize that sex is never 100% safe. Abstinence from sex with others is the only truly safe option.
Sex Refers to the physical aspects of being male or female. Does not include social conditioning which also influences of perceptions of what it is to be female or male. Activities meant to sexually stimulate the body.
Sex Worker See CSW.
Sexism Discrimination based on a person's physical sex or gender.
Sexuality A person's sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, identity, and behaviours. Sexuality is moulded by a range of influences such as physiology and biochemistry; culture; spirituality; personality.
STD Sexually Transmitted Disease See STI.
STI Sexually Transmitted Infections A range of bacterial, fungal, and viral infections transmitted through direct sexual contact, either through contact with infected body fluids or genital skin. This includes Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis genital warts (HPV), and herpes. STDs caused by viruses are not curable but may be treatable. STDs caused by other micro-organisms are most often curable. Some of these diseases can also be transmitted through nonsexual means, for example from mother to child during birth. Like HIV/AIDS, STDs and people infected with STDs are often stigmatized.
Sexual Health According to the World Health Organization, sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.
SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) can be understood as the right for all, whether young or old, women, men or transgender, straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual, HIV positive or negative, to make choices regarding their own sexuality and reproduction, providing these respect the rights of others to bodily integrity.
Social Exclusion The result of processes of discrimination and marginalization, social exclusion leaves individuals and groups unable to participate fully and freely in their community.
Sociodemographic Factors Important background information about the population of interest, such as age, sex, race, educational status, income, and geographic location. These factors are often thought of as explanatory, because they help make sense of the results of analyses.
SES Socioeconomic Status A description of a person's societal status using factors or measurements such as income levels, relationship to the national poverty line, educational achievement, neighborhood of residence, or home ownership.
Stigma Shaming, prejudice, and discrimination directed at people who are or are perceived to be infected with a disease, their loved ones, social groups, and communities.
Structural Intervention An intervention designed to implement or change laws, policies, physical structures, social or organizational structures, or standard operating procedures to affect environmental or societal change. (An example might be changing the operating hours of a testing site or providing bus tokens for access.)
SIS Supervised Injection Site A controlled medical facility where drug users can inject under supervision and have access to medical help and counselling, as well as other services.
Surveillance The ongoing and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data about occurrences of a disease or health condition.
Survival Sex The use of sex to meet one's basic needs. Directly, it may include the exchange of money for sex. Indirectly, sex may be used as a way to sustain a relationship that provides access to the basics of life.
Syndrome A collection of signs and symptoms that doctors use to diagnose illnesses. In the case of AIDS, the signs and symptoms are 28 Opportunistic Infections.
Target Populations Populations that are the focus of HIV prevention efforts because they have high rates of HIV infection and high levels of risky behavior. Groups are often identified using a combination of behavioral risk factors and demographic characteristics.
TA Technical Assistance The delivery of expert programmatic, scientific, and technical support to organizations and communities in the design, implementation, evaluation of HIV prevention interventions and programs.
Transmission Categories Classification of infected individuals based on how the individual may have been exposed to HIV, such as injection drug use.
TB Tuberculosis A bacterial infection affecting primarily the lungs.
Trafficking See Human Trafficking.
Transgendered Gender identities that do not fit in the two conventional gender identities of man and women.
Transsexual An individual whose gender identity does not match the sex that was assigned to them at birth. Usually, transsexual people will seek hormonal and/or surgical treatment in order to bring their body into alignment with their gender identity.
Transvestite An individual who is sexually or emotionally stimulated or satisfied by dressing in clothing of the opposite sex.
UN United Nations The United Nations is an international organization, central to the global efforts to solve problems that challenge humanity. The UN and its family organizations work to promote respect for human rights, protect the environment, fight disease, foster development and reduce poverty.
UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS is the main advocate for global action on the epidemic. It leads, strengthens and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and alleviating the impact of the epidemic. UNAIDS is a joint program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.
Under 5 Mortality Rate See Child Mortality Rate.
UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS In June 2001, this assembly was held to address the Global HIV/AIDS pandemic and secure a global commitment on the issue. The Global Framework on HIV/AIDS is one of the outcomes of this session.
VCT Voluntary Counseling and Testing
VCTC Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre
Vulnerability A measure of how much control an individual has over the risk level they face. Social factors, such as gender and poverty, affect kinds of decisions available to an individual or group to avoid behaviours and/or situations in which there is a risk of HIV infection.
WHO World Health Organization A United Nations agency, which focuses on issues related to health.
YLWHA Young Person Living with HIV/AIDS
Youth Category used to describe people aged 15 to 26 years old.
Youth Participation Activities through which young people have opportunities to make meaningful decisions, develop and practice leadership skills, and experience a sense of belonging or mattering.
Young People Category used to describe people aged 10 to 26 years old.
Youth-Friendly Health Services Youth-friendly health services offer young people confidential and comprehensive reproductive health information and services including condoms and voluntary, confidential counseling and testing for HIV. Providers are friendly and accessible and do not make judgments on young people's choices. Services are free or inexpensive, and locations and hours of operation are convenient for young people's schedules.

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